About Us
Farm House Food Distributors, Inc. was founded in July of 1974 by Leonard and Estelle Simon. Len had grown up in a family-owned retail poultry and fish business on Cleveland's east side. He attended a butchering school in Toledo and decided to open a retail store of his own on Union Ave. in Cleveland in 1960. In 1970, Len went to work for a local wholesale poultry supplier and decided, in 1974, to open a wholesale business of his own. Len and Estelle started their wholesale business and, when contacted by local supermarket owners, added fresh fish to their line of products.
In 1979, when the building next to theirs was vacated, Len and Estelle expanded into that building with a retail market. They started servicing the inner city stores and restaurants with fresh and frozen fish and seafood. Shortly after that, they broadened their product line to include groceries, paper goods, smoked meats, fresh meats, and poultry. They have maintained their emphasis on their primary products - fresh and frozen fish and seafood.
In 1985, Leonard and Estelle revolutionized the fish business in Cleveland by marketing Live Catfish. The catfish - so fresh it's still swimming! - was stored in steel tanks and caught for the customer with nets. To this day, our customers can choose "that" fish and have it dressed to order.
A second retail store was opened in 1988 at the New East Side Market and then a third in 1993 at Southgate USA in Maple Heights.
Leonard and Estelle retired in 1995 and placed the business in the capable hands of their son, Daniel. Daniel had worked in the family business during summers and vacations while in high school and college. After graduating from Ohio University in 1977, Dan began working full time at Farm House. Dan's wife Meryl has worked part time at Farm House since 1980.
The third generation of the Simon family joined the business in 1988. Dan's nephew, Matt Gundersen, started working at Farm House at the age of 14. His brother, Aaron, came on board at the age of 16. They took over as manager and assistant manager of the Southgate store when their grandparents, Len and Estelle, retired in 1995.
Michael Takacs has worked for the company for 22 years and has been a store manager since 1981.
The newest management member to the Farm House team is Matthew Armstrong. Matt joined our staff in 1994 as the office manager and was instrumental in choosing and configuring our new computer system.
Our business philosophy is to provide the freshest products available at affordable prices.